Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. How would the government's Health Reform Agreement deliver better outcomes for patients? What reaction has there been to this agreement? What is the government's response?

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Parramatta for her question. It is not surprising that she is one member who would want to ask this question, because in her electorate of Parramatta the historic Health Reform Agreement, which has been struck with every state and territory around the country, is delivering 45 extra beds at Westmead Hospital—and 40 of those are already open, providing services to patients as we speak today.

This reform is going to deliver to many patients, not just through the provision of extra beds—1,300 extra subacute beds—but also through greater efficiency, greater transparency and accountability, more services for patients and less waiting. An extra $19.8 billion in funding is going to be provided. We have committed to sharing in the growth of hospital expenditure in equal partnership with the states and territories. In doing that we have assured that there will be accountability for where every dollar of public hospital funding is going. For the first time we will be paying hospitals actually for the services that they deliver. There will be national standards for emergency departments and for elective surgery—and the MyHospitals website will publicly report on performance—and more local governance of health services through the establishment of local hospital networks and Medicare Locals.

Reform like this is never easy in health. It is a credit to the Prime Minister, who has had the determination to get these big things done. I also want to congratulate all of the states and territories for finalising this agreement, including all the Liberal Premiers—those in Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Unfortunately, as the interjections indicate, that is where the bipartisanship ends. When it comes to the Leader of the Opposition or the shadow minister for health, they have always said no to health reform.

They have as recently as yesterday said in the Financial Review that they will oppose legislation that will lock in this extra funding for hospitals. So it seems to me, when a question is being asked about where a $70 billion saving is coming from, that the health portfolio had better watch out. In fact the shadow minister for health has been put on the razor gang to look for savings and you would wonder why that would be. A $70 billion cut to hospital funding would close 40 per cent of hospitals right now—20,000 beds would have to close. We know that the Leader of the Opposition has a history of cutting funding from hospitals and we do have to worry if he is really determined to find $70 billion worth of savings—where will that come from?

Mr Pyne interjecting—

Our government is about doing the hard work, delivering reform, getting proper accountability in the system and making sure that patients can be treated in a better way, more quickly, with better quality and that electorates like Parramatta and elsewhere across the country get extra beds into their hospitals where they are needed. That is happening right now, today, as we speak.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sturt is extending personal comments beyond what people from outside would expect. To be interjecting, 'Who paid for the glasses?' and things like that are the type of inanity that we can do without. I warn the member for Sturt.